We had invited you, our readers to share your love story this Valentine's Day.

Here, a reader who wished to be anonymous shares memories of his first love and how fate separated them forever. Illustration by Dominic Xavier

This happened when I was in PUC in Bangalore.

I had passed class 10 and applied to PUC very reluctantly in the same institution where I studied for 12 years.

I'd wanted a different college but my parents were unable to afford it.

I had many crushes in high school but never experienced true love before.

I was very athletic in nature and active in volley ball as I had represented my school at both the state and national level.

Once college started, I was given the responsibility of forming the college volley ball team of both men and women.

Men's selection got over fast as I knew a few players before hand and I selected them.

During the women's team selection I noticed that there were some very good players. However, one particular girl got my attention. She was standing there waiting her turn to play and she was so good that I kept staring at her.

She was not a very modern girl but someone who had good values it seemed. She was like the one whom you could take home to meet your mom and she would have accepted her blind folded.

As I had the responsibility of selecting the team, I selected her also.

We introduced ourselves to each other and started practicing together daily. She also stayed close to my house which worked positively for us.

As time passed she and I became very good friends. She's never talk much to other guys in college. With me, however, she'd chat for hours after college talking about everything under the sun.

We became very close.

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'She deliberately did not recognise me'

Our college sports day was held in a stadium very far from where we stayed. After the function got over, we waited for the bus but it never came.

So we decided to walk all the distance (about 8-10 kms) back home and the three hour-walk has been the most memorable of events for me.

We talked a lot on that day and I also touched her hand (by mistake and not intentionally) and I felt so good.

I decided to propose my love to her but never got the courage as I feared losing her. I tried many times but failed. We also went to many tournaments together and spent a lot of time together. In a relationship some times we reach a certain stage where neither of them has to tell that they love the other, it's kind of understood.

I felt we were in that stage.

I decided to propose to her after the exams of 2nd PUC as the exams were very crucial and I didn't want to lose her at such a critical stage. I also joined the same tuition where she joined where I experienced a lot of criticism because I was not very good at studies and she was.

But seeing her face I withstood all that and I was waiting for the exams to get over.

Even during the exams, when all of us were busy, we stayed in touch. After the exams got over, I was all ready to propose to her but god had other plans. She almost disappeared after the exams. I could not find her anywhere. I joined BE and searched for her in almost all the other colleges and I could not find her.

May be that was how it was meant to be.

I searched for her for four years and I could not find her. I searched her on Orkut and Facebook but no result.

After five years, I saw her on a street near her house and my joy knew no bounds. I was across the street and went to meet her.

As I approached her, I saw a man beside her holding her hand. I saw a mangalsutra in her neck and she acted as if she did not know me.

I now understood that she was married and deliberately did not want to recognise me. I understood her plight and just wished her all the very best in my thoughts.

For me, she was the first love and after that I could not love anyone like that. I still see her in my dreams and I am not able to forget her.

I never knew fate could be so cruel to me. One advice to all the people in love: If you are in love, just say it, never keep it inside your heart, it hurts for a lifetime.

True love knocks at your door only once...

Dear readers, do you have an interesting love story that you want to share? Tell us where you first met your partner and how the two of you fell in love. Write in to us at getahead@rediff.co.in (subject line: 'Jab We Met'). You can also include a photograph of you and your partner and we'll publish the best entries right here on rediff.com

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